


rest of their lifes

by jesuisdeux



Series: fire nation was changing (in both bad and good ways) [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Fire Nation Politics (Avatar), Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Gaang (Avatar) as Family, Gen, Post-Canon, Post-War, Team as Family, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, okay there are bad memories, they are together and they are happy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:07:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26191675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jesuisdeux/pseuds/jesuisdeux
Summary: Post-war world of Avatar. Comics are fine but we want more of friendship and family fondness between the Gaang am I right?-"Zuko!" screamed the young avatar. "Get over here! I need you to make a cultural reform with me!"
Relationships: Aang & Iroh (Avatar), Aang & Zuko (Avatar), Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), Katara & Iroh (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar)
Series: fire nation was changing (in both bad and good ways) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1902049
Comments: 2
Kudos: 50





	1. a bison lands on the palace

**Author's Note:**

> descriptions of war, fire and getting shot by lighting at first pararaphs. mentions of air nomad genocide.
> 
> it takes place after my fic 'fire nation was changing' but to understand you don't have to read it! just know fire nation was banning and burning books and the gaang is going to change that.

He burned the books. Maybe not just the books but also the desire to read them turned into ash. And then his eye get burned. And then his ship. And then he saw burned people on Earth Kingdom. Not only their flesh but dreams and hopes too. And then he watched the Avatar himself getting burned. He couldn't tell if it was all quite separate, individual incidents or all of them were flames that come out of his father’s finger tips.  
  
And realized how fool he was, trying to deserve an unapproachable love. And facing the man who occasioned everything -every ash, from trenches of battle to streets of nation, setting every kind of thing on fire: books, humans, emotions, justice, the little socks of earth kingdom children, the letters of waterbender lover- he didn't receive anything but fire again. Yes, his father was predictable. Every problem's solution was _fire_.  
  
Blue flames chilled him to the bone, for a second he couldn't understand what he was feeling. Was it sorrow? Because his penalty was death, his own father was trying to kill him, and saddest of all, it wasn't probably the first time of the said attempt. But in the sequel he felt the anger, a very cold one, Fire Lord's exact feelings was inside of him for a second. The opposite’s ressentiment was in him for a moment, bristling him up. Call of the death was there, but he didn't lend an ear on it. He wasn't going to kill his father. It was someone else's job.  
  
He left the palace with goose bumps and two burned fingertips. He wished he also had his uncle with him.  
  
Yet once again, he was facing someone, maybe someone he was supposed to love. His sister, of all people, someone they laughed together years ago. Fire once again was the quickest solution that his opponent could come up with. Once again, he felt the coldness, _unexpected_ coldness of fire, but it didn't leave him this time, it didn't wander from him. The hate shot his chest pugnaciously.  
  
But this was the end. It had to be. Whenever he found himself worrying about future, uncle smiled to him reassuringly. Whenever he felt the anxiety of another terrible time coming, Aang and Katara was there, Sokka was shining his sword and Toph was talking about bending techniques, Suki was there with her warriors.  
  
First weeks of being the Fire Lord was weird. Or months, Zuko didn't kept track of time. They were too busy with heavy politics and a collapsing economy. War indemnity was a problem, but they were right at every pretension. At the end, Ozai had have been leave them a burden. A wreck. A country that can't stay alive without colonizing and stealing.  
  
But they were healing the country. And the world. Everything was going better, and finally they solved lots of primal problems. And when they looked aside there were other problems. Didn't matter. They were solving it, Zuko wasn't alone, after a very long time in his life. And in good days he didn’t even felt like an idiot with ridiculously loose fancy clothes.

-  
  
Appa landed on the land, in front of the palace, and Zuko tried to imagine if this happened before, if flying bisons landed on palace before and if the answer was yes, how long ago was it? How Air Nomad and Fire Nation relationships were before- before- the thing. _The incident_? _The genocide_?  
  
Team of Avatar got off the bison and they greeted each other, first formally and then friendly. Unofficial greetings included Aang's aggressively loving hugs for everyone and Toph's fists. Sokka was embracing Fire Lord and distributing his hair. Katara embraced Zuko and immediately reprimanded him for not resting enough.  
  
His uncle was watching his interactions from distance, not considering them as the Fire Nation's leader with ambadassors and bending masters but his nephew and his friends.  
  
"Zuko!" screamed the young avatar. "Get over here! I need you to make a cultural reform with me!"  
  
Zuko coudn't help but smile at this words, because Aang's voice was same as he was demanding Zuko from to dance with him at the Sun Warriors Temple.

"I think you are very right, Avatar Aang," said Iroh with a calm voice.

"But first I suggest you to rest and have a good cup of tea!”


	2. tea steam and cultural reforms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sitting and talking about old days, fire nation's view of books and air nomads, how ozai was an A+ parent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mentions of war and genocide, past child abuse

They were sitting around the table and were drinking tea, just like how Iroh wanted. Pu'er tea was draining from the scout of teapot to the little cups. Old general was experimenting with teas, and he demanded this one especially from Earth Kingdom. Steam was escalating from every cup, floating around. The ambience really was beautiful, it wasn't so surprising a soldier whose life took place on war trenches liked tea this much.  
  
"So my nephew lost his firebending?" the former general asked. There was an impossible amount of mercy deep down in his wrinkles and every expression he made, unlike his brother.  
  
"Yes! Toph said that we could search for the roots of firebending, learn from the first ones who actually bended!" continued the Avatar.  
  
"This is really a wise advice," approved Iroh.  
  
"But Zuko wasn't really happy!" said the Avatar and Zuko grouched something at that point. "He said that Fire Nation hunted dragons, so it was impossible!"  
  
"He was semi-right," said Iroh. "We really hunted them," he pointed with sorrow. Then he said "But not all of them," and smiled with the same sorrow.  
  
"Azulon sent me for the hunt, too; I can say it was a way of proving your honour.” Iroh’s words were slow, inside of his head he was probably once again bowing in front of the old man Azulon and receiving his task. Then he was questioning himself, if he could really do it? Rushing through the corridors and asking himself _what the hell was he going to do_? “Somehow a mighty act of nobility."  
  
"But they said you didn't kill them!" said Aang with sparkling eyes. It wasn't a surprise for him to admire a person who could _kill_ , but _didn't_ kill.  
  
"Yes, indeed," said Iroh while taking a sip from his tea. "I was... say, a bit older than Zuko." He put his hand on the Fire Lord's shoulder. Fire Lord didn't flinch.  
  
"It was one of the few things I did right at that age."

Because after that, he didn’t needed to question himself much, marching to different cities, not with a curiosity but with a hunger of destruction. He indeed marched back to his home, not with his son beside him. How many others children, he also took from them? And how could be he so stupid that he didn’t realized this before Agni’s rage, taking his Lu Ten from him?  
  
"I thought fire was just destruction," Aang was now looking at his hands. "But dragons showed me it wasn't! Zuko also helped me about it so much!"  
  
Iroh looked at his nephew proudly. He also tried to teach his nephew how it wasn’t just destruction or the scar on his eye, but something much more lovely than those.  
  
"It is just a matter of culture, even though fire nation made it look like a matter of destruction." continued Aang.  
  
Iroh and Zuko nodded slowly. "Now that you mention it, you came here to talk about culture, I recall," Iroh smiled.  
  
"Yes! Yes! Actually, I'm here because after all the physical changes, we need to take a step about people's mind, I think. Not that I am not so grateful for everything Zuko and you have changed."  
  
"Don't be grateful Aang, It's what I had to do," said Zuko, smiling sincerely. Aang projected the smile.  
  
"So, before you joined us, a few months before that,” Aang started, “I went to a Fire Nation school. Like, I was a student for days."  
  
There were astonishment in Fire Lord's expression, he opened his mouth in amazement for questions, then shut it.  
  
"Never mind how I ended up there," brushed over Aang.  
  
"He actually wore a uniform as disguise accidentally," said Sokka with a know-it-all attitude and a smile. There have been a few laughs on the table.  
  
"Nevermind," repeated Aang, wheezy. "The thing is, I really am upset about the curriculum."  
  
Zuko's face straightened. "What was wrong?" he asked immediately, twiddling his fingers of the hand he used to sign papers, like he was ready to do it every moment. "Just tell me."  
  
"History lessons, uh" Aang stuttered, "are a bit sided, I can say. Partisan, maybe? And there are so many details about how the school was oppressing fire nation children."  
  
"Oh, I see," Zuko muttered.  
  
"For example, Air Nomads didn't have an army, and... Genocide wasn't a battle, it was- it was a _genocide_ ," said Aang. Here there were the same clouds in his eyes, once again. Irreplaceable hole of an eternal solitude. Not that he didn’t have friends, or a lover, beautiful people surrounding him. But some feelings doesn’t move away.

Zuko's emotions were unreadable for second, and then he just jumped to his feet.

"Okay, I will talk to the custodian of education, we will change it. We can start with the text books-"  
  
"I don't think it's a good idea," said Aang with a hint of guilt. He held young leader’s hand to make him sit. “I didn’t mean to make you rush.”  
  
"Also, this is really a stupid idea," Sokka stated.

Toph and Katara looked like they were agreeing upon the foolishness of the plan.  
  
Zuko looked at them with confusion, and then looked at his uncle. He sat slowly, skimming through them. When there was something he thought of as a right act, there wasn’t anything to stop him and he wasn’t the best politician when it came to the sneaky plans. But Aang understood the real meaning of his demand, he didn’t want to push Zuko.  
  
"I don't understand."  
  
"Zuko, you have a really pristine heart," said Iroh with a smile.  
  
"And he is a bit idiot," teased Sokka.  
  
"Okay, let's say that we did everything you said." said Iroh. "Fast as possible. We changed the books, probably fired lots of teacher. Then children will learn something quite different than before,"  
  
"And isn’t that what we want?" questioned Zuko. “What is _right_?”  
  
"And they will talk about it to their parents.” he continued. “Little Wang will talk about how lessons were different from last year. It is so weird that Fire Nation wasn't as great as he thought, or learnt last year, right? And what will parents feel about that?"  
  
"They will say it is wrong." spilled Katara.  
  
"They will get angry," said Toph sharply.  
  
"They will feel that their leader doesn't protect them," added Iroh, sadly.  
  
"Oh," Zuko looked palled. "But what am I supposed to do?"  
  
"I didn't wanted to corner you, Zuko!" corrected Aang. "Don't feel pressure! I just meant taking steps _slowly_. Slowly, baby steps.” Then he added while giggling “I really like the term ‘baby steps’.”  
  
"Okay," said Zuko thoughtfully. "What about culture festivals? I don't know, like, about embracing other cultures?"  
  
"Now that's a great idea!" shouted Aang. "Actually Jinpa has books on it, it can help," he said absent-mindedly.  
  
Zuko's face drained of colour. His lips became a thin line.  
  
"Are you okay?" asked Aang, getting closer to him.  
  
"I- I- am fine," he took a big sip of his tea. His hands were shaking.  
  


“Just, I read him, actually,” said Zuko. “When I was a child. Fa- Ozai wasn’t very happy about that.”

Silence fell to the table like the body of a young Earth Nation soldier.

“Let me guess,” said Toph finally, “He acted like a prick?”

Somnolence lifted with those words. “Yeah, it is not a hard guess,” complained Zuko while half-way smiling.

“It was his plaything,” he spoke once again. “He invited professors and played with them. When he found out I was also reading books, he was _so amused_.”

“Funny,” said Iroh. “He also read books behind Azulon’s back.”

“You didn’t?” asked Zuko, surprised.

“Of course I did,” answered Iroh with a laugh.

He poured a new cup of tea to him and sighed without comfort.

“If you ban something, it doesn’t prevent anything. People do it anyway. It will just be illegal.”

“I can’t believe I didn’t do anything about it!” said Zuko and slapped his face. He was looking like his golden hair pin was crushing him and he was desperate beneath it. But also he was always forgetting that he was the _Fire Lord_. _The biggest rule maker_ in the country. “I really am unable to carry through all of this,” he huffed.

“Wait, ‘ban something’? Books are banned in the Fire Nation?” Sokka was astonished.

Katara was sharing the same emotion, “I guess we haven’t seen any,” she said, sceptical.

“We burn most of them,” said Zuko with shame. He also burned his books, didn’t he? Ozai’s punishments were always heavy.

“I am not a fond of books but this is really disgusting I think,” murmured Toph.

“I remember Kuzon talking about intolerance of Fire Nation when it came to books. But I didn’t know it was banned,” said Aang lost in memories.

“Of course, you cannot impose a history of lies with lots of history sources and viewpoints.” said Iroh.

Everyone agreed upon this collectively.

“And, when it comes to your responsibilities,” added Iroh, “You are the Fire Lord for two months, calm down. After the last peace talks, I am sure you will put your signature under great successes.”

“Thanks, uncle.”

“I mean, tidying Ozai’s wreck is something in its own,” said Katara. Everyone also collectively agreed on this too.

“Actually I remember him getting paranoid over little things, like founding my diary.” said Zuko. “I was dying to be a firebender in the future. The ones who worked on libraries, you know?” he smiled at his childish desire. “And I stupidly wrote this down on my diary.”

Everyone was listening earnestly.

“And when he read that, there were no amusement in his face- he asked me if there are no libraries how I could became one, if I wanted to overthrow him,”

Zuko sighed and took a sip of his tea. “I was twelve and he was so worried that I was plotting against him.” he said with wrinkles around his eyes, trying to understand the mindset behind the rudeness of his father’s actions.

“My brother never been a person with a sober-mind,” said Iroh.

“You know, I can always have a little visit to downstairs, if you want.” said Toph with a smile.

Katara and Sokka made a few jokes about how they were enthusiast about joining Toph on this, while Aang just hugged Zuko.

They walked around the palace together for the day, than decided to go for a walk outdoors. Observing the country was a good idea, they had so many things to change, after all.

Guards were angry at first; there have been so many assassination attempts to the Fire Lord just on the last week on its own. But soon they realised that Fire Lord was protected by the _Dragon of West_ , _two masters of bending_ , a _strategy genius_ and the _Avatar himself_.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading! feedback is appreciated because writing in english feels like typing with my nose haha.
> 
> edit: i am not able to keep writing this at the moment so if you would want to use the idea, go on! i would like to read about it! just write as you want, play with the idea as much as you want! it would be lovely.


End file.
